OTA vs Cable - split from Globe thread.

[57]

Originally Posted by HWP

That article is one of the only ones I have read that does not contain any errors.

From the article:

Enthusiasts point out that, because they are not compressed to be carried by cable or satellite, the over-the-air digital signals offer the highest definition images.

I do wish OTA'ers would stop making this statement since it's false. The OTA signals are compressed, from over 1 Gbps to a maximum of 19.4 Mbps. Rogers, as well as some other cable service providers, do not further compress these OTA signals. (Sat does). In addition, OTA is not the highest definition available, that belongs to the direct satellite signals brought in by FTA and BUDs, which can have 2-3 times the bitrate, depending.

[hkaye]

"The OTA signals are compressed, from over 1 Gbps to a maximum of 19.4 Mbps. Rogers, as well as some other cable service providers, do not further compress these OTA signals. (Sat does)."

heh, funny. People can't tell the difference between 720p and 1080i either. I haven't watched HD cable in years, it might be better nowadays. I can tell the difference between $0/month and $100/month I was paying though. :P

I bought my HD tv with a Rogers HD tv box. BluRay looked great in the TV shop and when I got home it wasn't that great looking at HD on cable. It wasn't until I got HD via OTA that I really got excited about the HD tv I purchased.

[57]

Originally Posted by hkaye

I can tell the difference between $0/month and $100/month I was paying though

Another misleading comment since the $100/month covered a bunch of channels and services that are not available OTA. The real comparison is perhaps the difference between the capital and maintenance cost of an OTA installation (varies depending on application and location) vs roughly $30/mo for basic cable.

[hkaye]

You can get HD for $30 a month? Dream On. I'll scan my cable bills and post them. I've been getting love letters from Rogers every 6 months telling me how little I could pay for cable but there's no mention of getting HD with a basic cable package.

You can get HD OTA for a $30 investment in an antenna. $5 if you can bend a wire yourself. :P

[57]

Here's the list of HD channels offered by Rogers available with a basic digital subscription ($36 at Rogers if you don't have any other Rogers stuff, less if you do). Look at the list in Green - 30-40 HD channels. Of course you need to purchase or rent a STB or PVR, but if you want a PVR for OTA, you'd have to purchase one of those too (or build an HTPC).

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=76073

Rogers currently has a "digital transition offer" of $10/mo for new customers (for a year).

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/show...59#post1288159

[hkaye]

Just show me the link where I can order HD for $30 a month from Rogers. I have the TV, I have the cable connection beside it. It's a dream. I've never seen any of my cable bills for $30/month even before HD was invented.

What Rogers is good at inventing, is a method that makes my introductory offer increase on a regular basis until I cancel or threaten to cancel then I see some savings. When I canceled my cable they offered me 20% savings if I stayed for another year. I know people that switch between cable and sat just to save money with introductory offers.

[wilspin]

And 50 bucks for Bell basic with the tax lpif, dtv fee with some HD if you had the right STB/Dish. Oh yes and it goes up $3 every year.

[ota_canuck]

In my area, you can't get a $30/mo for basic cable package unless you bundle their other services. NO THANKS!

If I wanted just cable only, it's $40 plus some extra fees plus HST to get about 30 channels that include 6 useless info channels, 2 US news broadcasts, 3 or more religion channels and the basic major network channels such as ABC,NBC,CBS,MyTV,CW,CBC,CTV,CHCH,Global,etc. Out of the mixed cable channels that cable offers, there are really only about a dozen channels that are worth having.

Whereas with OTA, it's free and I can get all of the major networks such as ABC,NBC,CBS,MyTV,CW,CBC,CTV,CHCH,Global, plus many sub-channels etc, without the need to buy or rent a cable or satelite box. Best of all,.. there are never any unexplainable monthly increases on my OTA bill. And despite the compression arguements or calculated bit rates, OTA is definately the King to the human eye for quality HD.

[nakedgord]

Originally Posted by 57

The real comparison is perhaps the difference between the capital and maintenance cost of an OTA installation (varies depending on application and location)

That's an inaccurate statement since, in my case, there as been $0 maintenance costs and as mentioned earlier the capital costs can be as little as $5.

vs roughly $30/mo for basic cable.

Inaccurate again. That $30 doesn't include the cost of fees like the local television surcharge, HST and the yearly increase fee in addition to having to worry about billing "mistakes" and contracts.

Plus there's the cost of the HD terminal they make you buy/rent for EVERY TV since, of course, unlike the US clear QAM isn't the standard.

Since someone brought up additional channels, there are some channels in the basic package that are not available OTA (Weather, CP24, YTV, Treehouse, many commercial free music, etc) - click on Digital Basic, then the link to "see more channels" to see them all.

Another inaccurate statement. Although there are channels on basic that can't be received OTA there are also OTA stations not on basic cable (or any package). WNLO CW-23 is one example and PBS Think Bright and Well (denied approval by the CRTC).

My point is although a statement may not being entirely accurate it doesn't mean it's misleading.

If you don't think OTA is for you that's fine but there's an entire industry who doesn't like DTV OTA because they know for a, I'd contend, large part of the population either by itself or in combination with online/TV on DVD who sees this as a viable option to the anti-competitive duopoly that has existed in this country for decades.

The BDU's aren't entitled to my business and they certainly haven't earned it.

[ota_canuck]

Hehe! Yikes,.... Now it's gone from 'ONLY $10' per month to '$36 PLUS HST'

That's nearly a 400% increase from the $10 promotional statement.

57, now that's an example of the misleading sales deceptions that the public is exposed to.

This reminds me of that commercial on TV:

"I can sell ice to penguins
"I can sell hay to horses
"I can sell water to ducks

Can I sell a basic 30 channel cable package to someone who has a free 40 channel package

[57]

ota_canuck In an early post I said "roughly 30" (which is possible with a bundle/contract and was typed before I looked at the exact number). In a subsequent post I said $36 and subsequent links to Rogers confirm that. In that same post, I also mentioned the $10 digital transitions offer and provided a link. None of those are incorrect, however, your last post is twisting everything I said.

[57]

if I can get CHCH in HD in the list

It's there, but I don't recall seeing much HD on that channel.

[hkaye]

Perhaps, 57, take a deep breath. We know OTA is $0 a month.

Take some time and let us know how much cable really is per month. We'll make it easy. How about just the channels off the CN Tower in HD.

[HWP]

All right, all right.

57's point was that we OTAers tend to exaggerate how much cable costs. He is right. When I switched to OTA I raved about how I had saved $100/month. My cable bill was $100/month because we had digital channels, a kids' theme pack, maybe education or news, plus an ethnic channel that alone cost $15/month.

The truth is we could have basic HD for a much lower cost -- whatever it is. Let's say, $36 + possibly a mystery Rogers fee + HST.

That is Rogers' closest equivalent of what we OTAers give ourselves for free.

My math was...Okay, I pay Rogers $100/month for these channels. Now I find out I can have all the channels that I watch 95% of the time for free in HD OTA. So now I'm effectively paying $100/month so I can watch what I really get out of cable for 5% of my watching. It just made sense to do away with it, watch the ethnic stuff online for free, get OTA, and live without Mythbusters.

Everybody is right.

[hkaye]

Okay 57,

Just make the wager or admit it doesn't cost $30/month for Canadian HD TV.

Capital costs? Whatever. Let's say $400 in cable equipment is a reasonable cost for cable whatever it costs to get this magically $30/month in cable fees. Is it more?

Really, at what point are you willing to publicly wager?